Chemical Typification of the Sugarcane Spirits Produced in Sao Paulo State

To typify Sao Paulo State sugarcane spirits, 37 chemical compounds were analyzed in 81 Brazilian sugarcane spirits (cachac, a), which were produced in different cities from Sao Paulo State. Among these samples, 56 were distilled in copper alembics, and the other 25 were distilled in steel columns. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis were performed with both chemical data sets. The chemical profiles of the cachac, as distilled in the column apparatus formed 4 specific clusters, which correspond to 4 distinct geographic regions of Sao Paulo State. For the cachac, as that were distilled in copper alembics, 2 cachac, a clusters were formed; however, no correlation between their respective chemical similarities and geographical origins was observed.